18/09/2026
⚓🌊 THREE CORE IMO CONVENTIONS AND ONE PILLAR FOR SEAFARERS’ RIGHTS
SOLAS – MARPOL – STCW – MLC, 2006
From “Safe Ships, Clean Oceans, Competent Seafarers”
to “Decent Work and Fair Rights for Seafarers”
✍️ Column by the Seafarer Standard Division, Marine Department
Kingdom of Thailand 🇹🇭⚓
Quality maritime transport
does not depend solely on
“strong and seaworthy ships”
or
“knowledgeable and competent seafarers.”
It requires several dimensions to work together:
🚢 Ships must be safe
🌊 The marine environment must be protected
👨✈️ Seafarers must possess the required knowledge and competence
❤️ And those working at sea must enjoy proper rights,
welfare and decent working conditions
This is why several international maritime legal frameworks
must operate together.
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🛟 1. SOLAS
Safety of Life at Sea
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SOLAS
is one of the principal conventions of the
International Maritime Organization – IMO.
Its central objective can be summarized as:
“SAFER SHIPS – SAFER LIVES”
In other words:
🚢 Safer Ships
for
🛟 Safer Lives
SOLAS establishes minimum international standards
for the construction, equipment
and operation of ships.
It covers important areas such as:
🛟 Life-saving appliances
🔥 Fire safety
🧭 Navigation safety
🚨 Emergency procedures
Simply put,
SOLAS asks:
“Is the ship sufficiently safe
to protect the lives of those on board?”
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🌊 2. MARPOL
Prevention of Pollution from Ships
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MARPOL
is the principal IMO framework
for preventing and minimizing pollution from ships.
Its core message can be summarized as:
“CLEAN OCEANS – HEALTHY PLANET”
MARPOL addresses several forms of ship-source pollution, including:
🛢️ Oil – Annex I
🧪 Noxious Liquid Substances – Annex II
🗑️ Garbage – Annex V
💨 Air Pollution – Annex VI
as well as other forms of pollution
arising from ship operations.
Therefore, if SOLAS seeks to ensure
“Safe Ships,”
MARPOL seeks to ensure that
“Shipping does not harm the sea
and the marine environment.”
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👨✈️ 3. STCW
Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers
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Even a technically advanced ship
cannot operate safely
without competent seafarers.
STCW therefore establishes international standards
for:
🎓 Training
📜 Certification
⏱️ Watchkeeping
of seafarers.
Its purpose is to ensure that
people serving on board ships
possess the knowledge, skills and competence
appropriate to their duties.
Key elements include:
🎓 Training and Certification
🕒 Watchkeeping Standards
⚙️ Minimum Competence
📈 Continuous Professional Development
Its core message can therefore be summarized as:
“SKILLED SEAFARERS – SAFER SHIPPING”
or
👨✈️ Competent Seafarers
lead to
🚢 Safer Shipping
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⚠️ BUT ONE IMPORTANT DIMENSION IS STILL MISSING
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SOLAS focuses on
🛟 Safety
MARPOL focuses on
🌊 Environment
STCW focuses on
👨✈️ Competence
But another important question remains:
“What about the people
who live and work on board ships?
Who protects their rights,
welfare and living conditions?”
The answer is:
⚓ MLC, 2006
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❤️ MLC, 2006
Maritime Labour Convention, 2006
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One point must be made very clearly:
📌 MLC, 2006
is not an IMO Convention.
It is a Convention of the
🌍 International Labour Organization – ILO
MLC, 2006
provides an international framework
for protecting seafarers’ rights
and their working and living conditions.
It covers key areas such as:
🏠 Living Conditions
❤️ Health and Safety
👥 Social Security
✈️ Repatriation Rights
📄 Fair Employment Terms
including:
💰 Wages
🕒 Hours of work and rest
🛏️ Accommodation
🍽️ Food and drinking water
🏥 Medical care
📢 Complaint procedures
and other fundamental rights of seafarers
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🧩 MLC COMPLETES THE PICTURE
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MLC, 2006
does not replace
SOLAS, MARPOL or STCW.
Instead,
it complements these instruments
and helps complete the overall framework of shipping.
Because the maritime industry
should not only have
🚢 Safe Ships
or
🌊 Clean Oceans
or
👨✈️ Competent Seafarers
It must also ensure that
❤️ Seafarers are treated fairly
and work under decent conditions.
The overall picture can therefore be expressed as:
🛟 SOLAS
= SAFE SHIPS
🌊 MARPOL
= CLEAN OCEANS
👨✈️ STCW
= COMPETENT SEAFARERS
❤️ MLC, 2006
= DECENT WORK & SEAFARERS’ RIGHTS
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⚓ SHIPS AND PEOPLE CANNOT BE SEPARATED
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SOLAS, MARPOL and STCW
are conventions under the IMO,
while MLC, 2006
is an ILO Convention.
However, in practice,
all four frameworks contribute to a common objective:
“To make shipping
safer, better regulated,
more responsible
and more sustainable.”
Because
🚢 A safe ship
still needs competent people.
👨✈️ Competent seafarers
still need fair working conditions.
🌊 Efficient shipping
must also protect the sea and the environment.
And
❤️ Seafarers
are the people who make
the entire maritime system work.
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🌍 THE BIG PICTURE OF MARITIME STANDARDS
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SOLAS
🛟 SAFETY OF SHIPS & LIFE
+
MARPOL
🌊 PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
+
STCW
👨✈️ COMPETENCE OF SEAFARERS
+
MLC, 2006
❤️ RIGHTS, WELFARE & DECENT WORK
=
⚓ SAFE SHIPS
🌊 CLEAN OCEANS
👨✈️ COMPETENT SEAFARERS
❤️ DECENT WORK
🌍 SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING
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⚓ THE KEY MESSAGE
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A good ship
is not merely a ship
that meets technical standards.
Good shipping
is not merely about
reaching the destination safely.
A strong maritime industry
must take care of all four dimensions:
🚢 SHIP
🌊 OCEAN
👨✈️ COMPETENCE
❤️ PEOPLE
“SOLAS PROTECTS LIFE.
MARPOL PROTECTS THE OCEAN.
STCW BUILDS COMPETENCE.
MLC PROTECTS THE PEOPLE
BEHIND THAT COMPETENCE.”
Because ultimately,
“No ship can sail
without seafarers.”
⚓ SAFE SHIPS
🌊 CLEAN OCEANS
👨✈️ SKILLED SEAFARERS
❤️ DECENT WORK
🌏 SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING
